- Contents
- What is borderline personality disorder?
- What are the symptoms of borderline personality disorder?
- When does borderline personality disorder start?
- What illnesses often co-exist with borderline personality disorder?
- What are the risk factors for borderline personality disorder?
- How is borderline personality disorder diagnosed?
- How is borderline personality disorder treated?
- How can I help a friend or relative who has borderline personality disorder?
- How can I help myself if I have borderline personality disorder?
- Where can I go for help?
- What if I or someone I know is in crisis?
- Citations
- For more information on borderline personality disorder
How is borderline personality disorder diagnosed?
Unfortunately, borderline personality disorder is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed.20,21
A mental health professional experienced in diagnosing and treating mental disorders—such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, clinical social worker, or psychiatric nurse—can detect borderline personality disorder based on a thorough interview and a discussion about symptoms. A careful and thorough medical exam can help rule out other possible causes of symptoms.
The mental health professional may ask about symptoms and personal and family medical histories, including any history of mental illnesses. This information can help the mental health professional decide on the best treatment. In some cases, co-occurring mental illnesses may have symptoms that overlap with borderline personality disorder, making it difficult to distinguish borderline personality disorder from other mental illnesses. For example, a person may describe feelings of depression but may not bring other symptoms to the mental health professional's attention.
No single test can diagnose borderline personality disorder. Scientists funded by NIMH are looking for ways to improve diagnosis of this disorder. One study found that adults with borderline personality disorder showed excessive emotional reactions when looking at words with unpleasant meanings, compared with healthy people. People with more severe borderline personality disorder showed a more intense emotional response than people who had less severe borderline personality disorder.6
What studies are being done to improve the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder?
Recent neuroimaging studies show differences in brain structure and function between people with borderline personality disorder and people who do not have this illness.22,23 Some research suggests that brain areas involved in emotional responses become overactive in people with borderline personality disorder when they perform tasks that they perceive as negative.24 People with the disorder also show less activity in areas of the brain that help control emotions and aggressive impulses and allow people to understand the context of a situation. These findings may help explain the unstable and sometimes explosive moods characteristic of borderline personality disorder.19,25
Another study showed that, when looking at emotionally negative pictures, people with borderline personality disorder used different areas of the brain than people without the disorder. Those with the illness tended to use brain areas related to reflexive actions and alertness, which may explain the tendency to act impulsively on emotional cues.26
These findings could inform efforts to develop more specific tests to diagnose borderline personality disorder.6
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